The Favor of the Lord
Text: Luke 4:14-22; IS. 61:1-3
Read Luke 4:14-19
Prayer!
Intro:
IN vs. 14 of our text, we see that Jesus has just came out of the wilderness.
-As you know, this was a time of great trial for him. For the devil himself tempted Jesus(read 4:2)
-One of the greatest ways to victory is to know the strategies of the enemy
How? 1 John 2:16-17 gives us insight into how the enemy works
“15Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”
The devil tempts us in really three different ways
1. The Lust of Flesh- desires for sensual pleasure
-Jesus was hungry, and the devil said, “Command this stone to become bread”
2. The Lust of Eyes- covetism or materialism
-the devil took him up and said, “Look, all these kingdom can be your if you worship me”
3. Pride of Life- being proud about one’s position in life
-The devil took him to a cliff, and said “IF you’re the son of God, jump off and the angels will catch
you”
This was a time of great testing for Jesus
Yet EVERY TIME Jesus was victorious over the enemy. Finally, after standing the test, and resisting him, the devil had to go!
-and He Returned in the power of the Spirit in vs. 14
We read that He begins to teach in the synagogues. So He comes to Nazareth (his hometown), and goes to the synagogue.
-a synagogue was a place of worship for the Jews
-they would gather to hear the Scriptures( didn’t have own bible)
So Jesus goes into this place, grabs the scroll of Isaiah
-He reads a portion of scripture
-He rolls the scroll back up, and goes and sets down
What was so important about him reading this? This is what I want to focus on today.
-lets backtrack nearly 600 years to the prophet Isaiah
Turn to Is. 61
The Lord was writing to his people in Isaiah. They were oppressed and in bondage.
-Time and time again is Is, the Lord reminds them that they are in bondage because of their sins.
-their idolatry, and forsaking the Lord sent them into captivity
Nevertheless- the Lord looked down from Heaven and saw the affliction of His people, and had mercy!
-The Lord will never forsake His people!
-Yes, the Lord saw their bondage/affliction and was going to deliver them/set them free
And All through the last part of IS, we read how the Lord is pouring a message of Hope to his people.
Having spoken in the proceeding (CH 60), Of the blessings that the city of God will enjoy,
-He now turns to speak of the one will bring about the blessings
The Lord would deliver them by a servant of his, a messiah, an anointed one
In which we move to IS. 61. This gives us a prophetic view of the coming messiah.
I. First, we see the Messenger of the Lord. Read vs. 1 (Does this passage look familiar?)
A. Throughout the OT, the Spirit of the Lord resting upon someone connotes supernatural wisdom/ability
-it is as if the Lord himself would pour out the oil of His very Spirit upon this messenger
Q. Why did this person have to be anointed with the Spirit? Because there was a job to be done!
He had to preach the good newsàin doing so he would fulfill the role of a prophet.
“To preach good news”
-comes from Heb. “basar”àannounce good tidings
Ex.- if a king would go to war and was triumphant, they would proclaim the good news everywhere
The Messenger would be anointed to carry Good News
What is the good news though? It is this- Help is on the way!
-A Redeemer is coming
-An Annointed one is coming
-A savior is coming
-a precious Lamb of God is coming
-A Holy and Righteous one is coming
-A messiah is coming! His nameàImmanuel
-The Deliver of God’s People is coming!
What the very thought of this must have done to the original audience of Isaiah
Help was on the way!
-in fact, He was the help!!
And because the Spirit was upon him, HE WOULD HAVE ALL THE RESOUCES HE NEEDED TO DELIVER HIS PEOPLE!!!
II. The Message was of Good news. To Whom?
-the brokenhearted
-the captives
-those bound
1. Not only is he a prophet who proclaims Good new, but a priest who binds up the broken hearted. (vs. 1)
Heb “bind” is used also in other parts of the OT
IS. 30:26
26 Moreover the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, And the light of the sun will be sevenfold,
As the light of seven days, In the day that the LORD binds up the bruise of His people and heals the stroke of their wound.
EZ. 30:21
21“Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and see, it has not been bandaged for healing, nor a splint put on to bind it, to make it strong enough to hold a sword.
The term “bind” gives us the impression of someone who is taking a cord, or gaze, and wrapping them up
Ex- pained limbs are rolled to bring ease
-broken bones and bleeding wounds are bound up so they may be close to each other
-When I had a bike reck, momma always took care of me
HE’S GOING TO BIND UP THE BROKENHEART
2. Prophet proclaim, the Priest Heals, and He’s a King that will DELIVER! (vs. 1 again)
-the messenger had another msg. to proclaim
-a message of HOPE, FREEDOM
There is only one way that this could happen
-This King HAD TO BE GREATER than the KING or People who held the people in bondage.
Ex.- I couldn’t walk into a jail and set someone free. I nothing
-but if George Bush walked in, he could. Why? Because he has a greater authority than me.
This coming Deliver/King would have authority over THE OPPRESSOR
Who is this person? Who would bring all these things to pass?
-Let me show youàLuke 4:20 It is fulfilled! Jesus is the person!…look at vs. 22 (Jesus knew who he was)
I. Jesus is the Messenger the prophet was talking about
-And the Spirit of God rested upon him w/out measure
-This means that He had an unlimited anointed/power/and authority
“He was sent to proclaim the Good news”à that God had not forsaken his people
-Good news to the “meek, or poor” in other translations
Who are the poor According to IS?
-Those who are so broken by life that they have no more heart to try
-People in bondage to sin and so bound up in their various addictions that liberty and release seems
impossible!
But GUESS WHAT? THERE IS GOOD NEW TODAY
2. Jesus will bind up those of you who are broken
-over the sin in their lives
-over the idols in their hearts
-for the perversion and wickedness before a holy and living God
I’m not talking about the religious crowd who are self-deceived by their own self-righteousness
But those who are truly poor in Spirit
-Who choose to see themselves as nothing
-who are willing to come before God and say, “I have some issues”
Mt. 9:11-13 We see Jesus was eating
11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked Jesus’ followers, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
12 When Jesus heard them, he said, “It is not the healthy people who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 Go and learn what this means: ‘I want kindness more than I want animal sacrifices. I did not come to invite good people but to invite sinners.”
“Blessed are the poor in Spirit, For theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven”
In Mt. 11 we see that John the Baptist was in prison, and sent word saying, “Are you the Christ, or should we look for someone else?”
4 Jesus answered them, “Go tell John what you hear and see: 5 The blind can see, the crippled can walk, and people with skin diseases are healed. The deaf can hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is preached to the poor.
3. Today, Jesus Christ wants to proclaim liberty to the captives; open the prison doors to the bound!
-look at Luke 4:19 now. Some versions say, “Year of the Favor of the Lord”
-to understand this, turn to Lev. 25
readàLev. 25:1-2, 8-10
We see in this passage the Lord is speaking to Moses
-He is proclaiming ordinances for the people of Israel to keep
He establishes in these verses that every 7th year is to be a Sabbath. The 7th time this happens (49th year), something very incredible would happen
It would be celebration time. Every 50 years a Festival was held.
-It could only begin on the DAY OF ATONEMENT. It was announced by trumpet
It was so incredible what would happen
-Liberty would be proclaimed to all people
-the business would be started all over again
-all mortgages were cancelled (could you imagine this happening today? No more house payments)
-all slaves released
-all bondages of me annulled
-lands reverted to original owner
-debts were forgiven
IT WAS A NEW BEGINNING
-I can just picture the man sold into slavery, taken from his family, and knew the law of God/about Jubilee
…waiting. Waiting. 30 years left. 20..10..5..1 waiting for the sound.
-I can picture the person in debt, and could do nothing about it, listening for the sound
All the people in bondage/prision waiting, listening, when when when?
Then all of a sudden. Through out all the land, the trumpet would sound
The People would say Jubilee, Jubilee, Jubilee…it is finally here
-This IS THE YEAR OF THE FAVOR OF THE LORD
-Get your tamboranne/flute/cymbals/make a joyful noise because God has just set me free!
Can I tell you today that when Jesus said, “He was to preach the acceptable year of the Lord”
-He was prophetically talking about what he was going to do for every human on the cross!
-yet this didn’t come easy. There was a price for him to pay.
He would be
Ridiculed Persecuted Betrayed Mocked Falsely Accused
Then they took him
-Stripped Him/beat
-Put on a scarlet robe/crown of thorns
-mocked him
-spit/hit/whipped him
Then they led him to Golgotha
-gave him a cross to bear, as he was almost half dead anyways
-they pierced one hand, then next, then feet
-Up on a lonely cross, he bled/he prayed/He DIED
You want to know why He Died?
-IT WAS SO YOU COULD HAVE JUBILE. SO YOU CAN BE ACCEPTED BEFORE GOD
-It was for You! The Cross was for you
Now, if you remember, Jubilee HAD To begin on the day of atonement
-this is the day when a sacrifice would be offered for the sins of the people
-they would take animals such as bulls, goats, and lambs and sacrifice them
-yet they would have to sacrifice day after day because it is not possible for the blood of animals to take away sins
Heb. 10:10
10By that we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
11And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God
-the job was complete!
In Rev. 5, they were looking for someone who was worthy to open the scroll.
-someone said, yes, The Lion from the Tribe of Judah is worthy
-and John look and saw a Lamb who had been slain!
You see, the cross began the SPIRITUAL YEAR OF THE FAVOR OF THE LORD
-The sacrifice of Jesus paid the price and opened the doors for all men
It’s Jubilee, Jubilee Jubilee
-Your debts can be cancelled by the cross
-You who are slaves to the world can be set free!
Get out your tamborinee/flute/drum/guitar/cymbals/piano/and make a joyful noice!!
HALLUJAH! We should be telling everyone we come in contact with! Sound the trumpet!
You SEE, Because of sin, we deserve death.
“Wages of Sin is Death!”
“For all have sinned and fallen Short”
And there is nothing in this world we can do to make it up to God
-being a good person wont cut it
-going to church wont make it
-praying wont save
-paying your tithe doesn’t work
There is one answer. It’s the person that Isaiah talked about. It’s the Prophet, the Priest, The King.
(proclaims) (heals) (delivers)
ITS JESUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Cross is your way to freedom today.
And here is the only condition: You
You have Got to believe that Jesus died for you
-say Lord, I’m Nothing, I’ve sinned, I cant come to you on my own, but I believe in what your Son did!
-Come into my heart/forgive me of my sins
-And I will live your all of my days.
Lord, let it be more of you and less of me everyday!
-change my heart
-make me into someone I could never become on my own
This is the Good news. Jesus Loves You
Conclusion:
The Year of Jubilee has not ended for anyone of you. You can find favor with God by Jesus.
If you need Jesus-come
If you fallen away/backslid-come
-grown cold/lost your first love-come
-need freedom-come
He’s here for you today. He wants to meet with you. Don’t be ashamed.
-Let him tell you who He is.
-Let him heal your wounds
-Let him set you free
